Steering propeller



H. E. FESSEL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STEERING-PBOPELLER.

Speccaton of Letters Patent No. 22,417, dated-December 28, 1858.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. E. FnssnL, of Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Method of Applying Screw-Propellers for the Purpose of Steering Vessels, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and' exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, exhibits a horizontal section of the stem of a vessel and a plan of the screwpropeller and its driving apparatus and of the apparatus employed for steering. Fig. 2, is a central vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.

This invent-ion consists in applying the propeller shaft in bearings carried by a horizontal circular frame which is capable of rotating to some extent around a vertical driving shaft geared with the propeller shaft and which is so geared with a steering apparatus that the propeller shaft may be set at any required angle to the center line of the vessel and the propeller thereby made to perform the duty of a rudder without interfering with its action as a propeller.

To enable others to apply my invention I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings. l

V, is the vessel.

A, is the circular horizontal frame which contains or carries the propeller shaft bearings, said frame being constructed of cast iron in the form of a wheel with arms ai, a, and a hub b, and with a broad flange c. rIhe hub b1, is bored centrally and fitted to rotate on the upper part of a standard B, which is erected amidships of the vessel upon or forms part of a bed plate B, which is securely bolted to propel keelsons, and the flange c is fitted in any manner which will enable it to work water-tight in a horizontal slotted opening in the stern of the vessel, which opening must be lined with metal plates (l, d, which may be constructed and applied in any manner best calculated to make a water tight jointwith the flange c. The frame A, is represented in the drawing unnecessarily large, and to make it so large would require too great an opening in the stern of the vessel for the flange to work in.

C, is an upright shaft which may either be the crank shaft of the propeller engine or a shaft deriving motion from the engine by gearing but in either case serves to drive the propeller shaft D. The said shaft passes through the center of the frame A, having a bearing provided for it in the center of the standard B, and one or more other bearings arranged in any suitable manner either above or below the frame A. The other bearing E, that is represented is above the said frame.

E, is the propeller keyed to the shaft D. The propeller shaft- D, works through a stuffing box bearing c in the flange c, and in another bearing f, arranged on the hub of the frame A, as close as possible to the driving shaft O, and it is geared with the shaft C, by a pair of bevel gears Gr and II.

g, is a circular spur toothed rack upon the lower part of the interior of the frame A, and 7L, is a toothed pinion gearing with the said rack. rI his pinion 71 is secured fast t0 or made in one piece with a chain wheel e', which is arranged to rotate on a fixed upright stud j, and from which chains or ropes are intended to run to a steering wheel arranged in the usual or any convenient position on board the vessel.

The operation of the invention is as follows: By turning the wheel the pinion h., is turned on the stud z', and by its action in the rack g, caused to turn the frame A, on the st-ud B and by this action the propeller shaft may be brought in line with the center line of the vessel or at any required angle therewith on either side of the said line without interfering with the rotary motion on its axis by which the propulsion is effected. rIhe effect produced by any change in direction of the propeller shaft is a change of direction of the vessels motion, the propeller acting to push the vessel directly forward only while its shaft is in line with the center of the vessel, and having more or less lateral action on the vessels stern as it is caused to deviate from that position. A small screw propeller may be applied in this way to steer a side wheel steamer'.

I do not claim the invention of applying a screw propeller in such a manner that its C, and chain Wheel substantially as and position can be changed to make it operate for the purpose herein shown and described. as a rudder. But

What I claim as my invention and desire H E FESSEL' 5 to secure by Letters Patent is- Witnesses:

The arrangement and combination of the J. W. VVANGHOP,

slotted frame A, propeller F driving shaft CHR. WAHL, Jr. 

